CREATIVE TEAM
HEIDI PHILIPSENDirector / writer |
Multi-hyphenate Writer/Director/Actress/Producer Heidi Philipsen has twenty-five years of award-winning professional achievements and experience in international film, theater, television and communications. Her films have screened and won awards at the Anthology Film Archives, Reel Women International Film Festival, NYWIFT Summer Shorts, and Film Columbia, among others. A classically trained actress, she transitioned easily from stage to film and has commercial work, two features, and voice-over work under her thespian belt. Her ability to collaborate with fellow actors has led to a career in directing—short films, regional commercials and, of late, feature films. Heidi's first feature film, Darcy, which she co-directed, produced and acted in, back in 2020, can be screened on various SVOD platforms. "Love & Vodka" - her directorial debut social impact romantic dramedy - celebrated its world premiere at the Cinetopia Film Festival on June 23rd in Ann Arbor, Michigan -- seven days after finishing post-production. Next up? More film festival dates, panel discussions and diving right back into development for four of her self-penned features. For a more comprehensive biography, please visit her website.
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JAY FEATHERDirector of Photography |
Jay Feather started his career in film and television over a decade ago working as a camera assistant for iconic films that include Godzilla, Men In Black, Private Parts and Far From Heaven. He then transitioned into role of Director of Photography working on award winning commercials that include Nike, Walmart, Dicks Sporting Goods, and others. Leveraging this experience, Feather furthered his cinematic repertoire, working with Justin Theroux on his pilot Documental before launching an impressive television career that includes Director of Photography for three seasons of the critically acclaimed HBO series Veep, where he created the signature look of the show that stars Julia Louis Dreyfus. Providing seamless connective tissue as 2nd Unit Director of Photography on Danny McBride’s cult favorite Eastbound and Down, Feather also operated as NYC unit Director of Photography for Allan Ball’s Cinemax action drama series Banshee. Feather currently resides in Brooklyn. For more information, check out his website.
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R.J. FoxScreenwriter |
R.J. Fox is the writer of fifteen feature-length screenplays, many of which have excelled in screenwriting competitions. He has also previously optioned two additional screenplays. He has worked in several capacities in the film and television industry, most notably as a film and media studies teacher at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, MI, where he uses his own dream to inspire his students to follow their own .R.J. is also the producer/director of several short films, author of three books (including Love & Vodka: My Surreal Adventures in Ukraine) and is excited to see his book be the inspiration for the feature that is being made in his home state of Michigan. Visit his website for more information.
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MATT JARJOSAProduction Designer |
Matthew Jarjosa is a filmmaker, art director, and visual effects artist from White Lake, Michigan. He graduated from the Motion Picture Institute in Troy in 2020. His thesis film, Children Are Monsters, won the school's award for Best Picture. His most notable credits include doing art and visual effects on Thorns, an upcoming sci-fi/horror film featuring horror icon Doug Bradley (Hellraiser). He also did VFX work on Finding Nicole, an upcoming drama film from director Harley Wallen. Matthew is excited to be joining the production team for Love and Vodka!
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YAKIV KOMARYNSKYEditor |
Yakiv Komarynsky is Ukrainian-Polish film editor and colorist. He started his journey with filmmaking from capturing his skateboarding friends and creating short documentaries in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. He studied in Warsaw, Poland where he graduated with honors, his diploma film Nuclear Shadows successfully received international recognition at film festivals around the world.
Yakiv’s portfolio is very diverse, he is an editor and colorist of many short films, commercials and music videos. Recently he had finished the feature documentary "It’s only / not only a body… Or a short film about freedom", which premiered at the Krakow Film Festival and participated in CamerImage Film Festival in the same selection with best documentary filmmakers in the world. Currently Yakiv resides in Vancouver, British Columbia enjoying new career perspectives and the Pacific Ocean. To find out more about his work visit https://vimeo.com/yakivkomarynsky |
NIKOLAOS LASKARIDIS |
Nikolaos Laskaridis, aka nikofftime, is a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and educator with over 20 years of experience in the music sector. As an alumnus of Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a MA on Jazz Double Bass he has performed in various occasions as a session musician with jazz trios and combos, jazz big bands and classical orchestras. Currently he composes music, on Ableton Live, for sync libraries, mobile video games, short films, TV and leads his own jazz band and experimental ensembles. For a snippet of his music, please visit https://s.disco.ac/qqikdhlaolpj
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SABRINA NAUMANN-REICHOWSound Post Re-Recording Mixer & Sound Designer |
Sabrina Naumann's first internship was 1999 at Babelsberg Filmstudios. She worked as a foley editor and after another internship also as a dialogue editor. After a few tryouts in sound design she decided to specialize in production sound and ADR. Recent films include "Sophia, Death & Me," "Bagman," and "More Than Strangers." Further, Sabrina has worked in sound dialogue editing on multiple foreign languages i.e. Hungarian, Georgian, Russian or Dari. Sabrina is excited to be expanding her repertoire in sound design and can't wait to flex her creative sound post expertise in the sound mix with "Love & Vodka." https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1308748/
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LAWRENCE RUSHMUSIC SCORE EDITOR & ADVISOR |
Lawrence Rush - Lawrence is an award-winning composer (Drammy Award for best original music for the musical Under the Influence), lyricist, actor and singer. He is a two time Richard Rodgers Award finalist and his Pride & Prejudice-the Musical is performed around the world. As a singer, he was a full time member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus where he also performed small roles as well as a member of the Grammy-winning Gregg Smith Singers. Lawrence has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Los Angeles Music Center and with many opera and musical theatre companies. He studied film scoring at UCLA and was a musical theatre teaching artist in New York City for over 20 yrs before moving to Berlin where he continues to compose while working as a teaching artist, voice teacher and tour director. |
SOPHIE MEISSNERMusician / Singer-Songwriter / COMPOSER |
Sophie Meissner has been involved in the film industry her entire life, beginning by helping her parents on set while she was still only a child. Since then, she has branched out in the entertainment industry, focusing on acting and music, as well as production. In 2018, she interned for Juna Films in Hamburg, Germany, and in her final year of high school, she interned for one of the leading manga and animation companies in the western hemisphere, Tokyopop. Sophie has directed and written her award-winning first short film, "Keep Your Head Up, Sweet Pea", which went on to play in festivals including the Busan International Kids and Youth Festival in South Korea, and was also screened on PBS. Sophie currently studies music at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and works for Personae Entertainment Pictures as a junior producer.
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Maryna sunkomichigan local ukrainian casting & cultural advisor |
Maryna Sunko is from Kyiv, Ukraine, where she specialized in Engineering, Economics and Italian. In 2008, Marina created a showroom of Italian clothing, in which famous Ukrainian actresses dressed. In 2017, together with her husband, Sergey Endovitsky, she established Transfercomfort, an airport transfer services company in Ukraine. That was all destroyed on February 24, 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine and Maryna was fled her homeland with her two young children: First to Germany, then Italy, and finally the United States, where she was struck by the humanity and benevolence of all the people she met. Within a month, she had clothes, a place to stay and money to buy food. She has been living in the USA, Michigan for two years now and is thrilled to be a part of the Love & Vodka team, her first film job ever.
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